Looking back: London Ontario a few more scenes

Just a few more paintings in the London collection, actually who am I kidding, there are like about 50 left to show! I will travel the next several days so the blog will be silent but two of my biggest fans will get to see me and Cilei, and a few paintings, in real life (IRL). This scene is Middlesex college, despite its nice outwards appearance it was a real dump inside and the University of Western was renovating it around the time I left. The best part was the Grad Club (a campus pub) with a great patio where we used to hang out. 

Sunset Middlesex College,watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

Seeing this painting again made me laugh a bit, so I loved painting auto shops even 25 years ago. Its surreal to think about it as 25 years ago, I can remember painting this one on location.  I was really into painting backlit scenes, not afraid to take on the shadow elements, and a range of greys. I like how the van has light reflecting off its lower portion, but its reflecting blue light from the sky on the upper portion. 

London Auto light and shadow, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

Same scene, its Middlesex college but with recent snowfall. It took a touch of skill to get the tree done, I worked out some of those techniques at a conference in Keystone Colorado around that time. 

Snowfall Middlesex College, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

Another funny one, so I was painting orange traffic signs back then too! Its interesting because in the background there is a Blockbuster Video store partly visible, and a for rent sign over top. At the time, these video stores were on their last legs as businesses. I composed the scene to have orange-blue contrast. The yellow elements in shadow, I think its a sign and a mail box, were well done, its a hard shade of yellow to make. I have to admit looking back on my work from this era has the feel of seeing a different artist, and therefor being able to appreciate it more than I probably did at the time. 

Construction blockbuster, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,

Busted Bentley twilight

A Bentley GT convertable sedan sped off the Decarie expressway, up to Sherbrooke street, probably going to pick up some rotisserie chicken at the BBQ Chalet? Jokes aside, its not often you get to paint a close-up of such an expensive car, like fully loaded, it costs close to half a million dollars now a days. This one wasn't worth it though, it was parked at the local Auto Mechanic who specializes in fixing expensive cars like a purple Ferrai. It happens to be a good spot to stand and paint, on the sidewalk looking due north, and there is a strong light overhead which helps. The car seems to emerge from the gloomy night, sparkling with chrome and reflective black paint. You have to imagine the noisy din of the highway with the occasional roaring engine of a motorcycle racing past. 

Busted Bentley twilight, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, August 2026

Somebody let the professor out again

A few years ago I got stuck in at the office working on grant applications, the blog was called Somebody let the Scientist out of the Office to howl at the moon. Today was somewhat similar, grant writing, office and a full moon. The first painting is just outside the building looking due south at the rising moon. Tea-coloured due to haze and atmospheric effects, the moon hung over a parking lot, and the commuter train went by. 

Tea moon over campus, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Towards Sherbrooke and Decarie boulevard there is a KFC restaurant, I did a painting here last year from a different angle. Using artistic license I changed the sign to PJD and tried to make Colonel Sanders look a bit like me. I need to get glasses too, and some white hair is appearing, so it will come true eventually just need the goatee.  

PJD fried chicken, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Here you see the moon sitting over Chalet Bar-B-Q rotisserie on Sherbrooke near Decarie. It was a tricky painting, with several light sources popping against a purple and brown background. It was good to take my mind of science for a bit, but still more work to go on the grants. 

Moon over rotisserie, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Looking back: London Ontario a few more memories

I always liked this one, it shows a bunch of bee bomb flowers in the background with an ashtray in a clay pot in the foreground. The textures and shadowing are quite realistic. Its done around 2004 in London Ontario at the Graduate Club, a University of Western pub. 

Bee bombs ash tray, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

A complex scene of concrete structures, buildings, and an ornate lamp. I was on a kick of painting lamps for awhile. The sky is neat, it has the blue-cyan transition, probably using combinations of French ultramarine (PB29) and cerulean blue (PB35). 

Lamp concrete downtown, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

Just outside the building I lived in for about 5 years, Bayfield hall, this shows my favorite dumpster, a crab apple tree, and a large utility shed. The sun was almost down and I really caught a nice amber-tint on the scene. 

Dumpster and shed, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

One of the last times I set foot in the lab, as I was preparing to leave London Ontario for Montreal. I spent a lot of time here working away on experiments for a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology. Part of the hospital can be seen through the window. That cylinder on the ground is a liquid nitrogen storage tank. 

Lab bench, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,  

 

Curio Folio: Minimmunologist

Who thought they would ever need a mini immunologist? If you ever saw the movies 'Fantastic Voyage' or 'Innerspace' then you know the concept of shrinking a person down and injecting them into a real-sized person's veins. I mean, its nuts. But the difference is that those were make-believe movies, while my Curio Folio is exclusively made up of real things, that actually happen in real life. Such is the mini-immunologist. It was another idea I had for a grant application, and to provide 'preliminary data' I made a protoype of the mini-immunologist, or minimmulogist for short. Upon injection into the veins of a participant, the minimmunologist located into the lymph nodes where it observed the immune response. Who better to do it than an immunologist? They even wore little blue latex gloves for sterility, as you see in this watercolour painting I made from my view into a microscope showing a lymphnode. How about a mini-neurologist to make you smarter? Or a mini-physio therapist to make you muscles stronger? The possibilities are endless!

Curio Folio: Minimmunologist, watercolor 6 x 7.5 cold press, 2026

Verdun and Lachine canal night scenes

Here are the last of the weekend paintings, including a neat scene of a freight train going over a low bridge on the Lachine canal. In the background, you see the city skyline with Atwater Market clock tower in the middle-ground and Villa Maria building with its famous sky-light in the background. The train flew by, so I memorized the shape and colour of a few cars, settling on perylene maroon (PR179) for their colour. 

Train city lights canal, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Yes this dépanneur is called Johnny Dep, clever eh? I renamed it Dep PJD in the painting. A 3/4 moon hung low in the sky against a fairly clear sky. As usual I used indo blue (PB60) and pyrol orange (PO73) for the sky. Painting on the backs of old paintings is tricky due to paper consistency, I am looking forward to getting back to new paper. 

Johnny Dep, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Here I am standing near the canal, the same spot as for the first painting, and the same spot that I did the famous Night Goose painting. In the background, you see part of the Verdun electrical station, and beside it, one of the towers from the aqueduct water plant. They illuminate the tower with a blue-violet flood light. which I captured with phthalo blue (PB15). 

Aqueduct tower electrical, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Pleasant scenes Lasalle and area

I generally paint what I see while on location, trying to capture the 'ethos' of the area. In the case of Lasalle it was cars, roads, and industrial themes. Not to mention, tons of duplex and triplex housing. Wanting to get away from the din of the highway, I found a path down to Lefebvre park, just a small recreational park with green grass and yellow flowers. The fence had a 'no dogs' sign, or maybe 'no dog heads' sign I couldn't tell from the graphic. At any rate, I changed the fence into a post, and included the fire hydrant to complete the joke. No dogs urinating on this hydrant please! 

No dogs hydrant, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Next I got down to the riverside, and found this view of a small recreational fishing boat moored on a dock. From this angle, looking west, you could see all the way down the st Lawrence river. 

Small recreational fishing boat, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

After the boat scene, I carried on along the path until Ranger park. Its a river-side park with great views, and plenty of thick greenery. Old asphalt and gravel walking paths wind through the park, which has benches and picnic tables. In early spring, tens of thousands of small 'may flies' congregate here. 

Ranger park green and blue, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Finally for the daytime paintings from yesterday, I found a disused pier once used for boat launches. Now it hold an 'aquatic police station' which is essentially an outpost for boat rescues. They had a giant pontoon boat with huge motors and some other crafts ready for action. The whole pier section is now open to pedestrians and bikes, so I rode to the end of it, and found this neat metal sculpture. The white-enamel slices were arranged so as to look like beluga whale tails. 

Whale tail sculpture, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026